Katekyo!
by hnnn
Summary: Just when Tsuna's about to give up on school, he's pulled into a situation where Kyoya - a high-ranking A student - becomes his tutor on behalf of the headmaster's requests. However, there's more to the skylark than just the sadistic head of the disciplinary council... And he'd already had his eye on Tsuna a long time ago. (1827 / mostly friendship & fluff. Slight AU.)
1. What's Going On?

**Ni hao this is my second fic hahaha ok. There is an A/N at the end, please anticipate it!**

**[DISCLAIMER] I don't own KHR, Amano Akira does!**

* * *

It's silent when Tsuna walks into the building, save for a few laptop fans whirring and paper being folded. He takes note of the people surrounding, feeling a little intimidated by the heavy study aura, but he forces himself to take it as motivation.

His hand grips just the slightest bit tighter on his backpack strap as he walks down the study area - students and workers look up briefly to see who was joining, then quickly get back to their work.

Tsuna, he... He's always been self-conscious, worrying about who watches him, and what they think - he feels the need to not let down their expectations, to look his absolute best, always. He's never seen it another way - he's a neat, reserved person in general, but his clumsiness can topple the stats sometimes.

He reaches the end of the row of tables, glancing along at all the students the whole way, when he sees- Is that?

"Hibari-san?" Tsuna whispers to himself - he's not expecting it when Kyoya looks up, a sort-of bored look on his face. His eyebrows raise - surprised to see Tsuna here, out of all places.

Tsuna's about to apologise, but Kyoya pats the desk space next to him, beckoning Tsuna to sit down. There were no more seats around, and he might as well... Tsuna had already spotted his prescence, anyway - it would be rude to just say hi and ignore Tsuna's troubles.

A little jittery, he walks over next to Kyoya and pulls out the chair, settling his backpack next to his feet. Kyoya shuffles his books and stationery to the left, allowing Tsuna a little more space to place all his items. He gives a small nod as thanks, and pulls out a maths workbook.

As soon as he sees the front cover of the book, he feels like packing it away and leaving the library altogether - but Kyoya was there; next to him, even. He didn't want to show the weak-willed, lazy side of him to Kyoya, and it would be rude in the first place.

Kyoya notices the younger boy squirming a little in his seat, an obviously uncomfortable look on his face and textbook still closed. Turning a page of his textbook over, he says, "If you're not going to try to study, then move somewhere else. Consider other people for once."

"N-No, I'm going to study..!" Tsuna insists, reaching forward for a pen. Kyoya doesn't react, but Tsuna understands he needs to get his work done - he'd been putting it off for too long, and for the parts he hadn't left blank, he'd gotten them wrong. All of it.

Something like maths, english, science, art, sport... No matter how hard Tsuna tried, he could never be anything but less than average in every subject. School was a constant energy drainer that was pretty much pointless to Tsuna - the friends he'd met a short time ago made school a little more bearable, but there were always times where he wanted to be alone.

Tsuna had never been alone in his entire life. His parents were caring people, so for his childhood, a single day never passed without his parents doting on him. When he started school, however, they started to bully him. For being weak, small, stupid... Not fitting in with their standards, being a slow learner.

And presently, that was the case. Kyoya was gradually getting irritated at Tsuna and his unenthusiastic seeming attitude towards his work.

Kyoya gives a sigh and reaches beside him, sliding Tsuna's book in front of him. Tsuna is about to protest but he's already looking through the pages, so he decides to stay silent as he leafs through the partially-completed work.

When he's done looking through the work, he hands the book back to Tsuna and stares him down, dead-on. "Either you're lazy, or just plain stupid."

Tsuna's cheeks flare; it's partially not his fault - some people just aren't made for maths, and he was probably one of them. He was an unfortunate soul born into an incapable body...

"L-Look, I really try, okay?" he says, his eyebrows scrunching into a frown.

"If that's what your work looks like when you claim to 'try', then you should work on your grammar too. Did you know that 'trying' wouldn't result in shitty work like this?"

Tsuna doesn't respond, shame filling up his insides, twisting his stomach around and threatening to spill out of him through every pore and hole in his body.

Admittedly, he hadn't so much 'tried', but he'd gotten so frustrated, he hadn't bothered to keep up with the rest of his classmates since the start of the year.

Several eyes had diverted their attention from their studies to the pair - they were whispering, but could be heard clearly since it was so silent in the area. That small boy seemed to be picking a fight with the dreaded and feared Kyoya Hibari - walking within a metre of him, even, would be considered suicide, so it was a wonder how the skylark hadn't snapped yet.

Kyoya sighs, exasperated. "Go find yourself a tutor... You could pass as an eighth wonder of the world at this point."

Tsuna looks down, trying to get himself to cool down a little. "I can't let my mum know - she'd go beserk and try to give me more work, probably. I already can't handle what I get now, and I just... I don't know what to do."

He feels tears panging at the corners of his eyes, and he rests his eyes on his wrists, propping his elbows on the table. "I'm really just naturally born stupid. I'm hopeless - everybody knows, including me. I can't... It's too much, I feel like quitting school."

Kyoya raises his eyebrows, a little surprised. He'd always assumed that Tsuna was just the slow, dumb type - easygoing and worry-free - but apparently not.

He's a bit worried about the boy - a rare emotion for the usually inhumane disciplinary officer - but he doesn't regret what he said.

He opens his mouth to reply and suggest another option, but upon feeling stares towards him and Tsuna, he suddenly - loudly - pushes out his chair and grabs Tsuna's wrist, pulling him along as he walks out of the library, where there's nobody to watch.

* * *

**Please review, I would appreciate thx. ((jk))**

**But ye a h, my second fic aw yis! Call me ojii if you wanna ((lame)). Also, haven't gotten to the main plotline yet, so please also anticipate that! Sorry if any characters are OOC, also! I should start writing the second chapter soon, too-!**

**I planned on making the title of this story "Katekyo Hibari Kyoya" but... goodbye**


	2. Super Sonic

**Second chapter wheeeee! Sorry in advance if any characters are OOC!**

**[DISCLAIMER] I don't own KHR, Amano Akira does!**

* * *

"At least you won't cause that much of a disruption out here," Kyoya remarks once the library doors have closed on them.

It's just as quiet outside the library as it is inside, but it sounds more lived in - more hustle bustle and laidback in contrast to the hushed, studious mood in the study area.

There are a few people standing around with a partner or alone, either eating or waiting for someone at the bathroom, but they're too preoccupied to concern themselves with the two.

"Sorry, I was being really loud in there," Tsuna says after a while - he hadn't meant to tell Kyoya about his pent up worries, but he'd gotten frustrated, and after the first word, he couldn't stop talking, and ended up revealing everything.

"Yeah, you were," Kyoya remarks, "but it's not that bad."

"Thanks..."

Tsuna sniffs and tucks his hands into his pockets. It's a rather warm day today for a summer - it's pleasant and not as blistering hot as the previous few days, which is nice.

But Tsuna couldn't get his mood to straighten up - even when it was great outside, he felt like he was constantly being pulled down by homework and study, the pressure of exams and what he wants to do in the future, what he wants to be.

Going to school everyday felt like the rope around his neck was pulled tighter, day by day - but only, it was now too tight to be pulled off.

Tsuna exhales, allowing himself to relax around the prefect. "I actually don't know what to do."

Kyoya raises an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Well, my grades aren't improving - at all. I can't let my mum know. I can't afford a tutor, either. And I can't quit school, as much as I want to... I guess I'm just fit out to be a big failure for my entire life."

The wind brushes against Kyoya's cheek, making his breath hitch a little because of the timing. The fact that his beloved school was making somebody feel this way didn't seem real to him - like he had to convince Tsuna that school is actually full of excitement, oppurtunities...

He gazes at Tsuna, feeling a little empathetic, but he doesn't show it on his face. Tsuna feels Kyoya's stare, but he doesn't think much of it - a little. Heck, Kyoya could snap out any time soon, or bite him to death (most likely) - and he definitely didn't want that to happen.

"W-Well, that doesn't mean I don't try, Hibari-san!" Tsuna says, a hurried tone just evident in his voice, his palms raised in submission. Kyoya raises an eyebrow slightly, his interest perking up by what Tsuna had just said.

The wind whistles again behind them, and a child's delightful squeal can be heard in the distance. Their surroundings would make them feel at ease - should make them feel at ease - but the minds of both Tsuna and Kyoya were in turmoil, worried sick for themselves and each other.

Suddenly, an idea sprouted in Kyoya's mind - but... Something like that, it was pretty absurd... He looks away, feeling as if he'd tried to... What, help him? His eyes glaze over, contemplating. There was always something about Tsuna that threw him off-guard – as if he had to help him every step of the way, as if he were some lost bird. Tsuna… He can handle it himself, can't he?

"Well, I don't know. Good luck, I hope you find a solution soon." Kyoya says – but his mind is screaming out to him, saying, "No, stop, you'll regret not taking the chance!"

Tsuna's about to offer a "thank you" but it's evident that something else is largely occupying Kyoya's thoughts – and he has a feeling that what he had to say would be ignored or unheard. It's a rather funny sight to see, though: Kyoya's trying to act all calm and reserved – uncaring, even – but Tsuna can see in the prefect's eyes that they're open a bit wider than usual, and his mind is zooming around like a rocket.

Tsuna, also, has the same idea as Kyoya, but he doesn't dare mention it or allow himself to further think on it. Come to think of it...

"Ah, sorry, you should get back to your studies now. I must've interrupted you, haha..."

"Yeah, thanks a lot."

Tsuna tries to smile at Kyoya's response, but he can't help but clench his fist in anger, but heat up in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"If you were really sorry, you'd get out of my sight right now, herbivore."

Tsuna sighs - just when he'd thought he'd try to get a decent conversation out of the prefect, he would always mess up somehow. "Well, I don't think I'm motivated to do any work today. I guess I'll go home, and..."

Kyoya glances at Tsuna, who's still looking for the right word. "Well, I don't know."

"I'll stay with you, then," Kyoya replies, playing with the bottom of his shirt a little.

Tsuna's eyes widen, "What?"

Kyoya frowns, then looks away, feeling embarrassed and regretting speaking up. "Well, I don't like the atmosphere in there, anyway. I'd rather just study with you than sit with rows of strangers on their mobile phones."

"B-But, I'm not going to study, I said-!"

Kyoya stares at him blankly, while Tsuna looks up at Hibari, a small frown formed on his features. "Hey, you're really annoying me right now."

Without any further warning, Kyoya grabs Tsuna's wrist and pulls him out under the library building's small patch of shade - and towards the nearest bookstore he knows of.

* * *

**Review pls ahaha**

**Also, a few more characters will appear in about a chapter or so! I wanted to just work on like... This one day where Hibari & Tsuna settle on the tutor decision oof;; I don't know if I'm making sense ahhh it's almost 1am**

**But yeah, needless to say, there will be more characters to appear soon! Anticipate it wheeeee**


	3. Beautiful Lie

**Third chapter already wheeee enjoy hahahahahha**

**[DISCLAIMER] I don't own KHR, Amano Akira does! (^:**

* * *

"...Hibari-san!"

The pair work their way down the small alley of shops: Kyoya nods politely at each of the shopkeepers they pass, Tsuna notices, as if he were familiar with all of them - which he probably was. They're all smiling warmly, and even the prefect has the faintest trace of a smile on his face - but it could just be Tsuna's imagination.

Remembering what was currently happening, he tries to break free of Kyoya's grip - even though he knows it's practically pointless - and opens his mouth to release a yell, when Kyoya abruptly stops in front of a shop.

It looks modern, clean - but the door looked antique - and inside was around four or five full rows of books, and post-it notes containing messages from visitors covered the majority of the top half of all four walls.

Kyoya walks in without so much of hesitation, tugging Tsuna along with him, and the wind chime above the door jingles lightly, notifying the shopkeeper of the arrival.

Said shopkeeper looks up from his phone, his thin-rimmed glasses just barely sitting on his nose, and his raven hair shaped like a... Pineapple? But it's a mess in some places. His thoughtful expression morphs into one of surprise and warmth upon seeing Kyoya walk in.

"Hibari! Buying more books on the same day?" he asks, pushing up his glasses to rest on the top half of his nose. Tsuna glances up at Kyoya - he has an apathetic expression on his face, but he also looks somewhat disgusted.

Releasing his grip on Tsuna's wrist, he walks straight for a shelf. Tsuna considers running away, but there's something about the mood of the shop that makes him want to stay a little longer.

No. It wasn't the shop, specifically... It was the way the shop somehow managed to calm down Kyoya's mood, and make him more of a... An approachable person - which is rare for someone like him.

The shopkeeper catches Tsuna staring at Kyoya, and he half-smiles. "Oh, so the books are for this boy, huh?"

The sound of book cover sliding against book cover is the reply he's given, and it's a small while to wait before Kyoya answers: "It's not for him. It's for my own satisfaction."

Grinning, the shopkeeper walks out from behind the counter and approaches Tsuna. "Hibari's being kinda vague... Care to explain?"

Tsuna's lips form a thin line, and he slightly nibbles on the inside of his bottom lip, thinking. "I... I'm not quite sure, either. He just dragged me here. I didn't... Really have a say."

The shopkeeper nods slowly, unsatisfied with both their answers. He's sure that he'll find out later on - but even he knew, himself, that he wasn't a very patient person.

"My name is Mukuro. Yours?"

"Ah, my nam-"

Kyoya interrupts abruptly from within the shelves, "Don't tell him."

Mukuro is slightly amused, looking back and forth from Kyoya's rough location and to the small boy he'd brought along. "No, really. What's your name?"

"Don't tell him, I said."

Tsuna jumps at the sudden proximity of Kyoya's voice, not at all detecting his presence.

Mukuro, a little amused by Kyoya's words, slowly slides his arm across Tsuna's shoulders casually, saying, "Well-! Do you two come from the same school?"

Kyoya notices the hand and he pulls Tsuna towards him, causing Mukuro's hand to drop to his side. He'd subconsciously pulled Tsuna aside, but... He looks up irritably into Mukuro's eyes. "Yes."

Mukuro, wanting to burst out laughing at the fact that Kyoya was trying to look intimidating, claps his hands together a few times, his shoulders raised, eyes closed and mouth in a wide, sharp-toothed smile. "Haha, I see, I see..."

Kyoya rolls his head, stretching his neck, and walks towards the cashier. "Anyway, I only came here to buy these books. Hurry up, I have a schedule today."

Mukuro chuckles and raises his hands in defeat as he walks and ducks under the cashier counter. "Alright, alright. Geez, you're always so serious!"

Mukuro holds the scanner over the book on the top of the stack - it reads 'English for Kids'. Frowning, he scans it and hovers the scanner over the barcode for the second book - 'Basic Mathematical Formulas for Kids'.

"Hibari... Earlier today, didn't you purchase 'University Mathematics: Advanced Calculus'? Why the sudden level change? I mean, not that I'm one to judge, but- ..."

Kyoya gives Mukuro a death glare, and whispers, "Don't say that so loudly. I'll bite you to death."

Mukuro's grin spreads wider, struggling to keep it in place as it becomes forced; he ignores Kyoya's empty threat. He's becoming irritated at the fact he doesn't know what's happening - even after a good amount of attempts to find out what was going on.

Oh well, he would have to find out later - but he hopes that 'later' wouldn't come too late. Mukuro scans the last book, Kyoya pays, and he's about to exit the shop when he realises Tsuna has disappeared. Panicking internally, he turns away from the door and walks around the shop.

"Tsuna, where are you?"

At the last shelf, he sees Tsuna flicking through a book. The aisle is labelled 'Photography and Art' - Kyoya's breath hitches upon seeing the book Tsuna was looking at, and he can't even speak. **I thought Mukuro wasn't stocking that anymore.**

"Oh, sorry. I just found this really nice... Book... Hibari-san?"

Kyoya's face looks almost-completely red, but he's trying to hide it by turning away. Tsuna puts down the book - did something happen with Mukuro? The options flying through his mind, he decides not to meddle in with the both of them- he'd only just met Mukuro today, after all. Finally looking in Tsuna's eyes, he says, "We're leaving."

The two are out the shop instantly - not before a cheerful goodbye from Mukuro - and Kyoya, almost instinctively, is leading the way back to his house. Tsuna complies more willingly than not, but comes to a realisation. "Ah, Hibari-san, we left our things in the library..."

Stopping in his tracks, he turns towards Tsuna. "Then we'll go get them," he says, trying to hide the anticipation in his voice. They go back down to the library, half-running but trying not to disturb anyone, and find their bags and items, untouched, as if they were hardly gone. Smiling apologetically at the neighbouring studiers, the pair quickly leave, slightly flushed, and make their way to Kyoya's house.

* * *

**Introducing Mukuro! hahaha**

**I forgot last chapter, but thank you all for your reviews! Really made my day/night! I'm happy I got so many follows ahhhh**


	4. In the Wind

**New chapter wheeee! Thank you for being patient ok/**

* * *

Kyoya doesn't regret bringing Tsuna to his house, but he does feel a little violated, if not embarrassed, like he had revealed a small part of himself to Tsuna. This kind of thing, he hardly does, so he decides it was bound to happen someday.

"There are slippers in the cabinet," Kyoya says. He slips into a pair of his own already laid out neatly next to two more pairs of slippers, and waits for Tsuna to put his own pair on.

Tsuna can feel the air getting awkward as he looks for the matching slipper, already holding one in his hand; when Kyoya gives him direct attention, he starts to feel self-conscious, he thinks, probably because he's scared of being bitten to death... Something like that, he decides.

Tsuna finally pulls out the other slipper and slides into them, following Kyoya who was already walking upstairs. He lives in a very humble home, Tsuna thinks. The floors are kept clean, there's not too many rooms, and it's very homely and cozy looking with the flowers and photos on the walls.

You go in first, Kyoya says, so Tsuna does - his room is immaculate, and there's a lot of floor space, but no table. Kyoya brushes past Tsuna slightly, putting his backpack down, and pulls out a fold-out table which was less than a metre off the floor. "Do you need a cushion?" Kyoya asks.

"No, it's fine," Tsuna replies, his cheeks warm. He's very obviously trying to ignore Kyoya's gaze, which annoys the skylark a little, but he doesn't know what else he expects from a weakling like Tsuna. They both pull out their books and pencilcases, maybe fixing any loose sheets that'd fallen out by accident and pulling out pens.

"Well, did you want to start on maths?" Kyoya asks.

"I don't mind," Tsuna replies.

"Then we'll start on maths. It looks like it's your worst subject anyway."

Tsuna opens his mouth to object and defend the small pride he had left, but Kyoya is correct in the first place, and he's already pulled out the textbook he'd bought at... Tsuna narrows his eyes, struggling to remember the owner of the bookstore, but Kyoya lays down the book in front of them, diverting his attention and concentration to an entirely new object at hand.

"You should try working through this book, from question four to fifteen. It's a kid's level book, so it should be okay for you, but if you really need help, just ask me. I'm here for a reason."

"Thanks," Tsuna says, trying to make sense of the first part of question four. At this rate, I'll still be here by the next morning, he thinks. He bites his lip and quickly glances over at Kyoya, who's concentrating on his own work. He briefly recalls their meeting earlier in the morning, where Kyoya had been sitting down and studying, and he'd offered a seat to Tsuna, and...

Tsuna clenches his pencil - he'd disrupted Kyoya from doing his work, wasted his money on some textbooks he's not sure he can finish, and now he wasn't even making use of them and wasting Kyoya's time. Someone like me is really useless, Tsuna thinks.

Kyoya catches note of Tsuna's inner turmoil - herbivores like him had a tendency to easily show their inner feelings subconsciously, and that's what made them so vulnerable. He gives an apathetic sigh, feeling a little ignored, which hurts him a little but he doesn't mind much - he thinks he doesn't mind - and he inches a little closer to Tsuna.

"I told you to ask me about it if you were having trouble," he says.

"I didn't want to bother you."

"If you were bothering me, I wouldn't have done all this - offer you a seat, drag you out of the library, buy these books, taken you to my house. You think I did this because I had to?"

"Well, I'm not saying th-"

"In any case, it should be me bothering you. I don't know why you think it's the other way around, I just... It's not something that I'm inclined to do... I..."

Tsuna, a little flushed, bites his lip, "Are you saying you wanted to do this for me?"

"... Don't get me wrong." Kyoya says finally, not wanting him to word it so bluntly. This was the other thing about herbivores - their bluntness and sheer naïvety had the ability to reveal your desires, and coax you into saying what you really wanted to say.

Kyoya had always tried to be careful about what to say, always repeating the possible scenarios and making sure nothing had a missing loop or a place to attack, but Tsuna somehow depleted that ability altogether - like he lost the ability to think, or something like that...

"Oh, I see." Tsuna breathes out, his voice maybe a little wavering and a smile maybe tugging at his lips after hearing the prefect's reply. It felt a little exhilarating, to be able to have a semi-decent conversation with the usually cold Kyoya - or maybe it was just the fact that he was talking to him; he doesn't know.

As the hours pass, they work steadily through the questions, though Tsuna had small breaks where his brain was too fried or he was getting frustrated, so they took the oppurtunities to talk about small things, like how being in the disciplinary commitee was like, Kyoko, how hungry they were and how Kyoya had nothing in his house except for boiled tap water.

Tsuna had managed to make Kyoya laugh a little, but he must've realised what he did, because he spoke less and less and didn't laugh again after that.

In the middle of a conversation Tsuna was struggling to speak in, Kyoya remarks that the sky has gotten darker. He's looking outside the window, as if as well as the sky, there was a UFO outside too; Tsuna, as well, looks out to see the navy sky with stars dotted intermittently across the top, creating some sort of roof.

Kyoya manages to steal a look at Tsuna while he's observing the almost-black canopy, and is almost caught off-guard when Tsuna remarks, "Oh, it has. What's the time?"

Kyoya unlocks his phone - "It's almost eight." - and they agree that they'd had enough for the whole day, with the over 20 sheets of notes Kyoya had written out and three more questions done than they had intended to do. Kyoya hadn't finished his, but he assured Tsuna that he'd finish it off later.

"It's fine," he says, "and I always get my work done on time anyway."

"Don't stay up doing it."

"I won't."

"Goodnight."

"You too."

And they both did - their minds slightly abuzz, thinking about one another, and a slight smile on both their faces as they buried their cheeks in their bedsheets.

* * *

**Some cheesy stuff because I didn't know how to end this chapter oops**

**Review me yea! Also, let's pretend Kyoya has a small cozy home and not a lavish mansion hahaha**


	5. Good Love

**Thank you for reading this far, first of all! I'm glad you like my story ahhh**

**Also, I am going to be on holiday for the weekend, and I'm not sure whether I will have internet so I can upload... It's 4ºC rn ahhh snow**

**Anyway! If I do get internet, I will try to upload because this is a short chapter pfft**

**I wanted to write more, but I felt like I was dragging it on so I left it at that I'm gomen**

**Formatting is also a bit weird, so the thoughts will show up as /this/.I**

* * *

Not that Kyoya had expected a change in the way Tsuna treated him at school, but he finds himself a little surprised when Tsuna runs away after seeing him in the corridor - even before he had the chance to say hello.

Of course, after one tutoring session, they couldn't be best friends the day after, but for him to still shriek in the goddamn morning and sprint away as if he'd seen hell... Kyoya raises an eyebrow, unsure on what to do: run after him, or walk away, pretending to be unfazed?

"Pretending?" he murmurs to himself, as if he wanted his brain to repeat that. What a joke, he thinks, shaking his head; I'm a joke. His hand in his pocket, he begins his usual rounds down the corridors for anyone who might be planning on skipping class - there were usually none, but you could never take any chances.

"H-Hibari-san!"

Kyoya's eyes widen and he turns around, losing his cool as he wobbles a little, unbalanced, on the balls of his feet. Tsuna's standing straight in front of Kyoya, two, maybe three, metres away. His eyes are looking down at the floor. His eye-contact is non-existent, so much that Kyoya thinks he can almost make out his shirt collar at the nape of his neck.

His hands are behind his back, twitching a little because he's playing around with his fingers - and the wrapped parcel he's holding. "I wanted to thank you for last night, and... Uh..." Tsuna says.

"Oh," Kyoya breathes, slightly relieved - because of the fact that he hadn't been running away, but went to get something from his bag - but his heartbeat is basically two times faster than usual.

"I... I went to the bookstore this morning."

"Ah, really." Kyoya says in a flat tone.

"I saw a book I really liked... Um, I was reading it yesterday."

"O-Oh. That's great."

Kyoya tries to keep a straight face, remembering the way Tsuna's face had looked while reading it - the way it made him feel. He'd looked so relaxed, so slightly blissful, and his surprised stare when Kyoya's face had gone all red subconsciously... I really am an idiot, he thinks, averting eye-contact briefly.

"And I... W-Well, when I was reading it-! It, um, made me... Think of you..."

Kyoya's breath hitches, his voice choken up. He finds himself unable to reply - much less in his usual indifferent tone.

Tsuna, surprised that Kyoya had reacted the same as yesterday, only he had been reading the book at the time, takes a step forward, trying to look into his eyes to make this a little less embarrassing for him. He must be think I'm really lame, he thinks, demovated.

"Well, um, just take it... As thanks. Just as thanks. U-Uh, thank you... For yesterday. I really appreciate it, Hibari-san..."

"No worries," he replies, finally looking back into Tsuna's eyes. He pulls out a brown, paper bag - the book inside - from behind his back and quickly steps towards Kyoya, his hands in front, offering the parcel to him.

"It's a photography book..."

I know, Kyoya thinks.

"It's really pretty... Um."

/Thank you./

"It's all pictures of the sky."

/Yes, I know./

"But, there's like, sometimes a picture of a plane! Or a bird... And there's like, clouds as well!"

/They reminded me of you, that's why./

"There's even a picture of the clock of our school with the sky! It's really... Um... Just..."

Tsuna shakes his hands, diverting Kyoya's attention to the book, rather than him. He takes it from his hands, the slight contact making them both jump and retract quickly. Tsuna quickly brings his hands to his side, his mind buzzing around busily.

"The photographer is unknown, unfortunately. It doesn't show up on the internet, either..."

"Oh, I see, what a shame."

"Well, I really enjoyed it, and some... Of the pictures remind me of... Well, you..."

"Oh..."

"Sorry, this is... W-Well, just as thanks!"

"Thank you to you, too."

"Y-Yeah..."

Tsuna looks up under his lashes at Kyoya. His eyes widen a little - he can't find exactly why, but he looks a little vulnerable... No, he looked exactly the same - a somewhat-cold, hard stare on his face, his posture intimidating as usual - but his eyes, his thoughts might've said something different. Tsuna couldn't exactly wrap his mind around it, so he decided to set his opinions aside.

"I gotta get to class now."

"See you soon, then."

Kyoya turns around, his lips trying to curl up into a smile, and starts to walk away, the parcel against his chest.

Tsuna gives a final gaze at the prefect, then runs back into class, apologising to the teacher and trying to ignore the "dame-Tsuna!" jeers from his classmates.


	6. This Time is Over

**Hello I am back from holidays... . .. . . . I lliterally tried for the whole day to get onto the site so I could upload but I was in the mountains what did I expect wow so I ended up writing two chapters oops**

**Anyway!**

* * *

The first lesson for the day was mathematics - Tsuna would've just circled 'C' for all the questions on the practice quiz they received, as he normally would've done, but he took the time to look through the questions.

Unfortunately, he saw some recurring question formats from last night's study session, but they were much more complex. He sighs - he doesn't know what he expected - and before the one-minute mark, he circles 'B' for all the questions.

After the quiz review, Tsuna tried to take notes or try to at least process the alien talk the teacher was giving out, but he really couldn't understand at all. He feels a little apologetic, like the time he spent yesterday night had been for nothing, and he sets his mind aside - he couldn't have paid attention to anything the teacher had said, nevertheless.

On the other hand, Tsuna had a confusing analysis regarding the small talk with Kyoya beforehand.

It didn't take a genius to find out Kyoya had been acting strange once Tsuna had mentioned the book - that much, he knew - but why? What was in that book, that it caused him to get so shaken up? Part of him wanted to find out, but he didn't think he'd be getting an explanation any time soon, so he pushes the thoughts to the back of his mind.

But...

He feels like he doesn't really... 'Know' Kyoya yet. They aren't friends, but they've done more than your average schoolmates. Kyoya had been nice to Tsuna - albeit it was unexpected of him - and Tsuna had been nice back. All this time, he'd viewed Kyoya as a dangerous sort of person; somebody you wouldn't want to mess with, or know, even, but...

Tsuna frowns. How would it feel... To not know someone? Somebody who'd made such a positive impact on his life, just when he'd pretty much given up hope? What... What would you call this, he thinks, smoothing his tongue over his lips slowly, getting a little nervous just thinking about him.

He doesn't know what type of nervous this is, though: that type he used to feel, where he would start to get panicked when he woke up just a few minutes later than usual and started thinking about the consequences that would follow after the prefect found out? No, he knew this was something different.

What was it about Kyoya that made him so confused; his thoughts so jumbled up? Was there even a specific name for this... For this thing?

A chilly breeze abruptly swept through the classroom, gaining a few shrieks from the girls. Tsuna, who was sitting by the window, winces and feels a shiver run down his spine. Even though it's summer, he thinks.

At almost the same time, he hears a faint sneeze from below the classroom - he was two storeys up - and he laughs a little when he spots Kyoya squatting on the basketball court in the middle of the school.

Smiling to himself slightly, he watches his every movement. Kyoya pulls out a tissue from his pocket and brings it to his nose; his jacket had slidden off his shoulders; he walks over to a nearby bin and opens it, throwing the used tissue inside and picking up one or two scraps surrounding it; he picks his jacket up and slides it back over his shoulders; he paces towards a bubbler and rinses his hands, wiping them on his trousers...

And then he notices Tsuna staring at him.

Tsuna's heart skips a beat - he found out..! - and he feels like he should turn away, but Kyoya's gaze keeps him staring, no matter how far away he is. When it's been long enough, Kyoya starts mouthing syllables: "What - are - you - doing?"

Tsuna laughs silently, and shrugs, a smile on his face. Kyoya shrugs as well, and... A smile? Was that a smile? Tsuna tears his eyes away, his cheeks heating up in the warm and sticky morning air and his mouth drooping down, surprised.

When Tsuna looks back, he's already out of his field of vision. A little disheartened, but feeling a bit more enthusiastic after the small exchange, he quickly copies down what's on the blackboard into his exercise book. He could ask Kyoya to explain it to him the next time they-

Tsuna stops writing, the tip of his pen hovering over the top of the paper by a few millimetres. "Next time"... So wouldn't that make Kyoya his tutor? The idea of Kyoya as his own, private tutor... Didn't sound all that bad - in fact, it sounded pretty nice - but Tsuna didn't know how he would bring the suggestion up.

On top of already being shy, Tsuna still hadn't exactly... Figured out why he always felt so weak around Kyoya. No, "weak" was a bit inaccurate. So lost, hopeless around Kyoya, more like - like every time he was around the skylark, he would lose a part of his mind and would surrender it to him. Like... Like what?

Kyoya had been just as embarrassed as Tsuna when he'd accidentally let a smile work its way on his mouth - so he'd walked away as soon as he'd had the chance.

He pulls out his mobile phone, checking the time - there were around three minutes left before it was break - and he weighs his priorities: Biting people to death could wait for another day; office duties were out of the question; waiting for Tsuna outside his classroom to talk about what would happen next...

He grasps the device in his hand - maybe exchange numbers? "Exchange numbers..." he murmurs, flipping the top open, then snapping it shut, "Huh."

After glancing at the giant clock tower in the middle of the school, he runs up the stairs, slowing down once he reaches the corridor of Tsuna's classroom.

He steadies his breath and rests against the wall next to the classroom door - he tries to look casual, but once you're in a situation where you can't control your heartbeat and you're anticipating the arrival of a certain someone, you forget what "casual" or "normal" is.

The students start piling out right on the bell - the teacher must've let them out early - and Tsuna's one of the last people to leave the classroom. "H-Hibari-san..!"

Kyoya lifts up his phone upon seeing the herbivore, flipping it open. "Give me your number."

"Uh... Sorry, I don't have a phone," Tsuna says.

Kyoya, wanting to run away to the roof and scream, lowers his phone, shutting it. "Ah, I see."

"B-But I have a home phone number... Is that okay?"

Kyoya nods, "That's fine."

Tsuna gives a small sigh of relief and recites the digits - Kyoya makes sure he's got the right number, asking him to repeat it, and he presses "Save".

A little embarrassed, Kyoya had says he'd call Tsuna that night, so it was "unnecessary to give Tsuna his own number", which they both agreed on. He takes his leave, not wanting to prolong his stay, and the bell rings shortly after - Kyoya doesn't stop by again for the second and last break.

Tsuna stays up an hour later than he usually did that evening, on the bed with the home phone next to him, but the call never comes. By midnight, he's too deeply asleep before he can even try slapping himself awake.


	7. How Many Times?

**New chapter aw yis... . . .. . well this. . .. hope you enjoy! ahhh**

* * *

Tsuna had sworn to himself not to expect anything from other people, as Nana had always told him, "Expectations lead to unnecessary disappointment," but just this one time, he thought that maybe, he would've...

Maybe, he would've called. _Like he said he would._

Sighing, he leans into his arms that are forming some sort of small barrier between him and his class on his desk, resting his eyes for a little and then opening them up again. He'd been in some sort of daze for the whole morning, which had caused him to bump into a lot more people than usual.

Tsuna runs his tongue along his teeth - maybe he was assuming too much. Well, he gave the right number... Pressing his lips together, he glances at the blackboard and flips foward a few pages of his textbook, noticing that he was a few pages behind.

I'm really out of it today, he thinks, feeling a bit hot despite his sleeves already being rolled up halfway. "Sawada, have you read the novel?"

His teacher's voice rings abruptly into his head and he jolts up, confused. "Ah, no, I..."

Tsuna gulps under the eyes of each of his classmates - except for that girl at the back who's always asleep - and feels himself heating up, his palms getting sweaty. "Y-Yes, I have..."

Truthfully, he was about seven-eighths through, and he already knew what was going to happen. Nevertheless, Tsuna disliked lying, but he was scared of what they'd say, and what the teacher would make him do.

The teacher doesn't believe it for a second, judging by Tsuna's shaky, nervous voice and fidgeting in his lap, plus the avoidance of eye contact - but he gives a sigh of exasperation.

"Finish it by tonight and I'll let you off. This lesson, however, you won't be able to understand to the fullest. I hope you've realised what happens when you slack off, Sawada," he says, folding his arms, chalk in one hand.

"Y-Yes, sensei."

A little miffed by Tsuna's dodgy eye contact, but not wanting to stall the lesson any longer, he continues on with the lesson, erasing all the text on the board and writing a new sentence.

This was the first time in the whole school year that he'd been called upon by one of his teachers. It was entirely his fault - he thinks so, at least, but it's partially true. Feeling a lot more tired out than how he felt about a minute ago, he weakly copies down the writing on the board.

Stupid, he thinks to himself; I'm really stupid... I'm the stupidest of the stupid. His grip on the pen subconsciously clenches, and he feels queasy in the stomach, suddenly. Shocked, he gasps softly and tries to continue writing, but is struggling due to the searing pain in his insides.

He'd be willing to go to the infirmary to have a rest, but after that small interrogation not a while ago, he didn't have the guts to ask. He hunches over his desk, his eyes shut tight and a sharp gasp escaping his mouth - though not loud enough for his seat neighbours to hear. /But it really hurts..!/

"Excuse me, Sawada Tsunayoshi has been requested."

The sliding door rattles as this is said, and all thirty eyes in the classroom flickers to the student in the door. Tsuna's out of his seat before the teacher can grant permission. As they walk down the corridor, Tsuna asked him what he'd been requested for.

"Well, beats me. I know about as much as you do."

"O-Oh, I see..."

"Well, I gotta get to class. I was running an errand. See you."

They both give a polite nod and turn on their separate ways - though Tsuna is already in front of the principal's office door. Closing his eyes, he rests his fingers on the handle and breathes in deeply - opening his eyes, he presses down and opens the door, being welcomed by the already-seated principal.

"Good morning, Sawada-kun."

"A-Ah, morning..."

"Take a seat."

Tsuna takrs a few steps forward, making sure not to bump into the hat stand next to the door - and he finally notices that there's a student sitting in the chair he's walking to. Wanting to get this over and done with quickly, he slides into his chair, his arms tensing as he avoids the other student's eyes.

"Sawada-kun, I ran into your mother in the supermarket recently."

"That's..." Tsuna mouths under his breath, not sure how to respond. He takes it that the principal hadn't noticed, as he continues talking.

"Nana and I are relatively good friends, as you would know. We had a small chat, and she started talking to me about how worried she was about her son, and how he was coping with school.

"Now, I looked at your previous test results, they're not very satisfactory... Sorry to say. I don't know how I hadn't noticed earlier, and I'm not saying you're... Stupid, precisely, but I just think you need a bit of work on your subjects. I hope you understand that much, at least... Am I right?"

"Yes, that's right... Um, but I'm not sure where you're going with this, sorry."

"Of course. So I hope I've clarified what happened the other day."

"Y-Yes."

"Now, what also happened... You do know Hibari Kyoya, the head of the Disciplinary Committee?"

Tsuna's eyes widen and he quickly looks over to the student sitting beside him - and it's Kyoya, sitting rather calmly and looking ahead at the principal.

"Y-Yes, I do... Know him... Uh..."

The principal gives a light-hearted chuckle, "So I can see. Hibari recently personally paid me a visit, where he addressed to me his concerns about the average test score and behaviour of several students in the school... About a week ago. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Right. I'd been dwelling on the subject, myself, at the time, and I was thinking of the best possible way to ease the worries of both Hibari and Nana - I'm a kind-hearted man, after all.

"So I wanted to try something out. I've called the both of you here today to confirm if the decision I've made is okay with the both of you. Hibari-san, I'd like you to tutor him until the start of next year, just to see if his grades go up any."

The principal had unknowingly taken what the pair had been thinking about for the past few days, and had spoken their thoughts out loud. Both unable to believe it, Tsuna and Kyoya glance at each other hastily. Kyoya makes a small beckoning motion to the side, as if to say, "Is that okay?", to which Tsuna responds to by nodding.

The exchange doesn't go unnoticed by the principal, but he sits still, wanting to hear the answer from Kyoya's own mouth.

"Yes, it's fine with me." Kyoya says.

"And Sawada?"

Tsuna nods, finding himself a little too shocked but buzzed to speak. The principal smiles with his mouth closed, forming wrinkles by the corners of his eyes. "Alright, then. I don't expect to see results immediately, but any positive change would be great."

Tsuna stands up to speak, but Kyoya beats him to it. "We won't let you down."

He nods, "So I hope. You two may go back to class."

The duo glance at each other once more and look back at the principal, thanking him before exiting. Of course, they both had the same idea in mind: skip what was remaining of the lesson - they had the opportunity.

A little embarrassed and short of breath from excitement, Tsuna says, "Um, let's go to the infirmary. I'm feeling kinda sick..."

"That's a good idea. We... We'll talk first, though, so you can rest until the next lesson. I hope... That's okay with you?"

"Y-Yeah..! T-That's great! But, uh, we..." Tsuna raises a wavering finger, pointing down the corridor - gesturing that they should go quickly. Kyoya leads the way as they pace down the corridor, Tsuna just barely managing to keep up.


	8. On Such a Fine Day

Once Tsuna enters the infirmary after him, Kyoya slides the door shut. Fortunately, there was nobody else in the room but the two.

The layout of the infirmary is almost ingrained into Tsuna's brain. He'd come here many times during the start of the year - so much that even the nurse had remembered him; expected him, even - but... Tsuna blinks a little before walking over to the bed and lying down promptly.

He doesn't remember how or when he'd stopped coming.

"Hibari-san, you should sit down," Tsuna remarks, wriggling around to settle into a comfortable position.

"Don't tell me what to-" Kyoya looks down at the boy, who has a blank expression on his face, and says after some time, "Don't worry, I'm fine standing up."

"I-If you say so, then."

The two are silent for a while, inwardly enjoying each other's company, though even Tsuna starts to get even a little impatient. He's about to speak up when Kyoya beats him to it.

"So what time do you usually sleep?"

"Around 10," he replies softly.

Kyoya looks out the window, as if he were reflecting on his actions.

"I stayed up until 12, though. I-"

"You were waiting for my call?"

"Y-Yeah."

"That's... Sorry. I called at around 2 in the morning. I didn't expect a teenage male to sleep so early."

Tsuna frowns, not sure if it's an apology or some sort of indirect insult. "That's, uh... Sorry."

"No, it's fine. It was a mistake on my part."

"N-No, I should've told you earlier."

"It was my fault for not asking, so don't worry about it."

"I should've t-taken initiative, so it's-"

Tsuna takes note of the apathetic stare he's given by the prefect, and shuts his lips, cheeks flaming.

Kyoya isn't exactly so much annoyed, but he was uncomfortable with the boy stubbornly denying his apology. Something like that, when done by other people, was always irritating - because it always seemed half-hearted or some call for attention; reassurance that they were a good person - but when it came down to Tsuna, he thought the opposite.

He's not sure whether Tsuna's feelings are genuine, or if he's just naïve and stupid in general. He can't determine exactly what factors came into him feeling this way - something like this didn't seem to be a simple manipulation of people's feelings...

Tsuna was unexpected, to say the least. Something about the boy seemed to pull Kyoya out of his comfort zone, something he usually detested and preferred to avoid, but- What was it? Why and how was he any different from the usual herbivores he encountered daily?

"You can always... Just call tonight."

Kyoya's eyes flicker to the boy in the bed. Tsuna looks away abruptly, his face crimson and neck straining. "T-That is, if it's not too much- Too much trouble," he says quickly, his hands starting to ball into fists.

He chuckles silently at his child-like demeanour - maybe it was this side of the boy that made him so... So unaware.

"Yes, I was planning to. Tonight."

"I-I see."

"I'll call a little earlier, then."

"I'll be waiting..."

Kyoya can't help but smile slightly, feeling like a small load had been taken off his shoulders. However, this didn't mean his more recent concerns hadn't been settled.

He had addressed concerns to the principal some days ago, but he hadn't expected the suggestion he'd made minutes before. Maybe some sort of extra training for the teachers had been expected, but not personal tutoring - and for free, nonetheless.

Kyoya didn't see himself as a real 'top student', but his grades and general study attitude was higher than most people in his grade. He reckons the principal had seen him as an ideal tutor - though Kyoya wasn't planning to continue tutoring the boy after graduating to high school.

Graduating...

He glances over at Tsuna.

"What days are you available after school? Of course, I can tutor on weekends, but I'm assuming you wouldn't want that..." he pauses, then says, "but if you're fine with it, it's okay."

Tsuna frowns slightly, as if he didn't understand what had just been said, then it disappears as he stares at the door behind Kyoya for a little while. "Uh- Any day is fine. I'm... I never have plans," he says. He laughs bitterly at the statement, but it's true, anyway.

"I'd say tutoring lessons would be a plan."

"Huh?"

Kyoya bites his inner gum - that was probably a dumb thing to say, he thinks - and he shakes his head, dismissing it. "Never mind. So would Monday to Wednesdays be alright? After school, I mean."

"Y-Yeah, that's fine."

"You wouldn't want lessons on a Friday afternoon, right...?"

"I don't... I don't mind much. I-I mean, if it's fine for you."

Though Tsuna's sole company was pleasant enough, he still had some issues with that weak, herbivorous attitude. It seemed even Tsuna wouldn't be an exception to one of Kyoya's biggest pet peeves.

"Then," he says, standing up for emphasis; he takes two steps to reach Tsuna's bed, and he leans on the frame, holding himself up with both hands, "we'll settle on Mondays to Wednesdays. Sundays for any catchup on homework you missed. Got it?"

Tsuna gulps at the intimidating figure before him - now with the sunlight shining dramatically on Kyoya's face and sudden change of tone, he seemed a lot scarier and less approachable before. "G-Got it," he stutters, subconsciously clutching the blankets a little tighter.

Kyoya takes note of the gesture, so he takes a step back, leaning into his back foot. "Alright. We'll start next week. I'll wait for you after school on the days at the entrance, and we'll go down to the library."

"O-Okay..."

Kyoya starts making his way to the door, as if he were in a hurry to leave. "We'll study until seven. Tell your parents you'll be getting lessons from now on. I'll leave you to rest for now."

"Ah, b-"

The door slams shut before Tsuna can finish saying goodbye - and he's not even sure he got all of the prefect's words. However, he notices his stomach ache has subsided slightly. Glancing outside the window, then at his fingers, he rolls down and over to his side, closing his eyes.

Today is a Monday... His eyelashes flutter slightly, and the leaves on the tall, oak tree just outside the window rustle as a gentle wind passes outside and through the slightly-ajar window.

* * *

**Late upload sorry for that yo but yeah buddy I am alive**

**I must've rewritten this chapter at least 5 times but that's okay because we have reached the end of a chapter! This chapter..! Yeah... Also thank you for all reviews I really appreciate them all! I will reply to every one of them from now own but yes please know I read all of them thoroughly thank you thank you thank you bye goodnight I am feeling sick**


	9. Feeling Like a Friday Night

Tsuna felt empty. He felt surprised, confused, a little mad, but overall, empty.

After school, he went straight upstairs and fell on his bed, exhausted for no particular reason. He wasn't empty in the sense that he'd taken a shit, or that he'd forgotten to eat for a good part of the day - though in truth, he did - but just completely hollow. He felt like his thoughts had been sucked out; like his heart had stopped pumping and all his blood had emptied out. His head felt lightheaded, but bombarded with heavy loads and questions.

If asked, he probably wouldn't have been able to give a clear answer on why he felt this way. It was an entirely new feeling, and when you're empty, there's no way of describing how it feels - because it feels like nothing. He would've been better off trying to describe what water tasted like.

He wasn't sure when it started to happen, but he'd grown to expect many things from Kyoya. He wasn't blaming it on him - and it seemed wrong to - but rather, it was only himself he had to blame. It was also only for himself he deserved the right to blame.

The whole day, he had gone by seemingly undetected by the prefect. Tsuna had made an effort to greet him whenever he could, and to maybe even touch him briefly, but he was incessantly met by a hasty, thoughtless reply: "I'm busy."

Kyoya had always been a bit cold at heart, but not so openly in a complicated manner such as this. It seemed a lot more than just general ignoring or dismissing, personality-wise (and also typically his trademark), and even an idiot - like Tsuna - could realise there was some sort of uneven, awkward tension wavering between the two.

Naturally, he gradually grew more hurt by every rejection. Something like this was to be expected of Kyoya, but it seemed like he was wrong on this part. There was no denying Tsuna had felt hurt by the last school bell. After all, him and Tsuna were friends.

Abruptly, Tsuna shot up from his bed and frowned. 'Friends'? Well, no - not exactly.

The small relationship they had was fragile. Tsuna would constantly choose his words, rethinking and rephrasing - sometimes, he wouldn't say anything at all - but the two didn't talk much in the first place.

Tsuna was a normal guy, of course. Hypothetically thinking - he repeated these two words in his head - if any two friends had had the same thing happen to them, where one would ignore or brush off the other, they'd confront them about it. Breaking a friendship over something as small as that is like tearing paper in half. What you need is a clean cut - to slice the paper with scissors.

So, then, why was he not blaming Kyoya? He should get angry - he wanted to get angry - but he fell deeper into insecurity and being worried sick. If needed, Tsuna would've tried to fix himself, so as to ensure it didn't happen again.

Inevitably, thinking about what had happened earlier made Tsuna sad. It seemed like he was always sad nowadays.

He buried his head in his blankets, ruffling his hair. He felt like sleeping was the only solution - that maybe he'd detach himself from reality for a while.

Heaving a large sigh, he swung off his bed, quickly shutting his curtains closed - a soft, burgundy light illuminated his room - and almost fell back onto his mattress. He knew sleep wouldn't solve his problems, nor give him any worthwhile answers, but it was a way to temporarily get away from everything.

He scrunched up a section of fabric from his blanket using both hands. His eyes were shut so tight, he could see lights floating - he could feel them starting to tear up. Without knowing, he'd been holding his breath too, and when he finally exhaled, his eyes opened, but his view of his ceiling and light was distorted. The tears flowed out raggedly, stopping and starting as if his tear ducts were malfunctioning.

He rolled onto his side, shaking and sobbing silently.

It hurt. It really, really hurt.

His throat hurt; his ribs; his head; his heart. It clenched tightly and he felt as if he was going to choke on all the words he'd never ended up mustering the courage to say to him - to Kyoya.

He really was weak.

.

Even as a child, Kyoya had never really been openly honest with himself. He saw himself as the one thing he could never see through - he couldn't even predict his own actions. It was painfully ironic. The only person - or thing, for that matter - he could ever first-handedly control was him, and he knew this. But he couldn't.

For the whole day, he'd been in a big state of confusion. He was confused about a number of things, but the biggest one was Tsuna. Rather, it was his feelings towards him. He'd decided on his own that their tutor-student relationship would be strictly professional (or the most professional you could really possibly get from two teenagers in the same grade), but he'd been doubting his real opinions and wants.

But what did he want, exactly? He couldn't figure it out.

He knew that during the day, he had been ignoring Tsuna to the best of his ability, and he also knew Tsuna would excessively worry about it afterwards. It was a mean thing to do, but for Kyoya, it was also slightly an unexplainably fond action.

He'd been acting like a herbivore for the whole day - weak, with no backbone. Maybe it was Tsuna who'd really been acting strong the whole time.

Kyoya tapped his fingers on his desk in a quick, rhythmic pattern. He was growing impatient at his inability to make such seemingly simple conclusions.

Clenching his hands, he spins around on his chair and snatches his cellphone off the bed. He would call Tsuna. It'd only been around four hours since they'd been let off school, but he would call Tsuna. Not because he felt like he owed Tsuna an explanation - he didn't owe anyone anything - but because he, himself, was greatly confused and felt as if he needed somebody else to yell an explanation for him and his thoughts.

He started to dial Tsuna's phone. More than enough rings passed by and there seemed to be no hope or luck. Suddenly, there was a 'clack' and Tsuna's drowsy voice met the phone.

"Yes?" he said.

Suddenly, Kyoya found himself almost speechless. "Yes?" he repeated.

Gulping, he cleared his throat. "Sawada."

He was met by a muffled yawn, as if he'd deliberately taken the device away from his ear and brought it back. "Sorry, who's this?"

"It's Kyoya."

He didn't get a reply immediately after that, but after waiting for a good ten seconds, Tsuna said, "Oh."

Kyoya smiled slightly, then he cleared his throat again. "I need- No, I want to talk to you. Come over to my house, quick. You should know the way. Right?"

"U-Uh, yeah, I think... It should be fine..! Um- before I leave- Will it take very long? My mum should be back kinda soon, so if you were planning to, um, lecture me or anything, now really isn't the best time. O-Oh, but of course, if that doesn't suit your needs, then it should be OK-"

"It shouldn't take too long if you come over as soon as you can. Run for it."

"Y-Yes..! Goodbye, then-"

Kyoya stifled a laugh - it sounded as if Tsuna had pressed the 'End Call' button too quickly. Sighing as if the worries that had slowly pent up throughout the day were released in that single breath., he leaned back in his chair and lulled his head back lazily, closing his eyes.

His eyelids felt dry. In actuality, he felt hot and sticky, and the air in his room felt sickly damp. As he slowly spun on his chair and reduced his energy levels to a minimum, he noticed that there had been cicadas outside his window.

He hadn't done much waiting in a while now, and to think it was in this sort of nostalgic, summer mood made it seem all the more worthy to be anticipated for - or maybe just the thought of Tsuna exerting the effort to make the trip was pleasing enough, albiet he was slightly forced to.

Maybe he'd be hated more - maybe feared - after what was to happen after his arrival, but it was something he'd learned to grow used to over time. He would admit he felt something abnormally strong for Tsuna for a mere acquaintance - or for a friend, if he dared to put it that way.

But Kyoya, always and had been, incredibly selfish, and brooding over something so small was a herbivorous characteristic - so if he was to make himself out to be the mean one, so be it. He was almost willing to sacrifice it.

* * *

**A/N: thank you for being patient! i'm on my phone so ff is being really dodgy, so i'll try to make this quick! first, thank you all for the reviews on my previous chapter! i think i responded to all of them - if not, i'm super sorry uhhuhuuuhu - but i don't to let anyone down anymore, so although it was fleeting, i'm not responding to them anymore. it was fun to talk to you all! i appreciate you guys! of course, if you have a question, i'll answer to the best of my abilities.**

**also, it should've been clear, but tsuna and kyoya (everyone in general, actually) act super duper ooc! if you're uncomfortable with that, sorry if this wasn't what you expected. you're not inclined to read my story or anything, so the moment you start thinking "this is a shitty story", just exit! my story writing isn't top notch, and i only have myself to blame if you feel like this story is deteriorating. otherwise, thank you so much for sticking with me! i love you all ahhh ramble ramble sorry**


	10. I Tried to Walk Without You

After ten minutes, Kyoya was - admittedly - starting to get tired of waiting for the boy; and it'd only just occured to him the tone he used while he'd called the boy. He probably sounded hostile - no, demanding. Maybe he'd scared Tsuna off. Maybe he wouldn't come.

Frowning, he tried to recall Tsuna's voice over the phone. It sounded slightly husky - like he'd just gotten out of bed. Maybe he had to get ready before he came over. He sighed, dully spinning himself around on his chair. He was doubting the boy too much.

It wasn't as if he didn't trust Tsuna, but there were a lot of things he had to consider about him and the situation before he had a clear overview of the plan. Also, accidents could occur - he sighed again, shaking the thoughts out of his head. It was starting to become bothersome; worrying about somebody else so much.

He had barely started tutoring the boy, but it still seemed like there was an ever-expanding gap between the two. Whenever Kyoya would try to come to terms to Tsuna, there was another obstacle he would come across, which was trying to come to terms with himself.

Maybe they just weren't suitable for each other. After all, trying to even imagine Namimori's strongest delinquent and the weakest, laziest student ever to be enrolled into their high school together was a mental struggle for any other person. However, he'd grown too attached to the boy, and the idea didn't seem as strange as it should've. In truth, it'd even sounded pleasant.

Kyoya idly rolled his eyes back, groaning. 'Attached'? Since when had he become attached? Was there even any reason for him to be attached to a slob like him?

Why was he taking such a long time just to get to his house? 'Someone like me shouldn't be left alone,' he thought sullenly, staring at the ceiling with flat eyes. Maybe that was why - even though Kyoya had spent most of his life alone (apart from the rest of the disciplinary council, but even so, he'd never seen them to be as close to himself as he saw Tsuna), Tsuna so easily broke that. Or maybe it was Kyoya. That day during the weekend, at the library. He was the one who started a conversation. It was all him.

The doorbell rang. His eyes widening, he started to somewhat-scramble towards the door, then realised what a fool he was making himself out to be. Inhaling, then exhaling deeply, he made his way over, but once he reached the door and swung it open, he was bitterly greeted by Mukuro.

He grinned. "A release from your favourite novelist came today. I came to personally deliver it."

He'd came dressed in casual, loose clothes - obviously, he'd had a day-off from the store. Kyoya never recalled Mukuro ever opening the store after school, anyway - only during late nights at around seven in the evening, during the occasional patrol around town and grocery trips for his mother.

Kyoya deadpanned, then sighed, seeming exasperated. "If he had a new novel out, I would've known."

Mukuro kept up the façade a little longer, then dropped it, his eyes seeming sunken and his mouth in a faint pout. "OK, fine. I came because I wanted to ask you about something."

"Alright."

Mukuro stared, his arms propping himself up against either sides of the house's door frame. "Let me in, you shitty-"

"You can ask me out here."

Gritting his teeth, Mukuro insisted. "It's not something I can ask out in the open."

"There's nobody outside besides us."

Mukuro stared apathetically at Kyoya - he really was stubborn - and glanced around the street quickly. There really was nobody outside, and he was about to begrudgingly obey to his orders when he realised there was a small tuft of brown hair poking out behind a hedge. It seemed too far away for them both to be heard clearly, but he didn't want to take any chances.

He turned back around at Kyoya, and gave an accusing stare.

"What?" he said, crossing his arms.

"Fine, not today. I'll come back later."

Kyoya frowned as he watched Mukuro leave. "Don't come back at all!"

Mukuro, his back turned, waved his hand in a nonchalant manner, as if he were to say, "Yeah, I got it." On his way down the street, he bent down behind the same hedge, and found Tsuna, to his surprise.

Kyoya, confused at his actions, stepped outside of his house slightly, then quickly stepped back in when he saw Tsuna staring towards him. He could hear the two talking, but he was too far away to actually distinguish what they were saying.

When he decided they were taking too long, he gave a pointed look at Mukuro. The man shrugged and patted Tsuna on the head before pacing off.

"Is now a good time?!" Tsuna yelled from a considerable distance.

Kyoya made a small beckoning gesture and Tsuna, at first, cautiously walked over. Without a word, Kyoya stepped to the side to allow the boy to walk in and then closed the door after him.

It wasn't the first time Tsuna had been to his house - and it still sounded slightly absurd once he thought the situation over - but he still felt a little jittery.

Kyoya had remained silent upon his arrival, and even as he started going up to his room, didn't say a single word. Tsuna naturally followed, and once they entered his room, only then did Kyoya notice the heavy-seeming backpack Tsuna was wearing.

Kyoya stared incredulously as he started pulling numerous books out, one-by-one. Tsuna paused, noticing Kyoya's eyes. It was an abrupt stop, but he felt uncomfortable by his stare.

"What is it?" he asked, resting his hands in his lap.

"Did you think we were having a lesson? They don't start until next week. Didn't I tell you?"

Tsuna squirmed. "Well, I don't see why else you would call me over. Also, can we, please? Sorry if it's not what you had in mind, but I really failed on my maths test."

Kyoya felt as if an ice-cold bucket of water had been poured over his head, then was tossed into the ocean. The boy's absurd-sounding conclusion was cold enough, but more so, his tone of voice. He sounded robotic, almost. It seemed like he were talking to some stranger. Really, though - had they ever really been close at any one point? Maybe it was just Kyoya who'd thought that they would start becoming more familiar with each other.

Kyoya clenched his fist - that was it. No more being dishonest. Keeping his cool and calm demeanour was pointless at this point now, and not to mention, stupid. He'd done too much for the boy; he'd gotten too involved.

"No, I called you here because I wanted to talk to you."

Tsuna, who'd been fiddling with his fingers in his lap, looked up, his eyes clearly confused. "You... Talk to me? You wanted to talk to me-"

Kyoya laughed. "Yeah, I wanted to talk to you."

Tsuna felt a bit uneasy at his laugh. There didn't seem to be any clear reason for the prefect to laugh, and even more so, want to talk to him. He'd already made it clear the invitation to his house had nothing to do with the tutoring, so...?

Oh, but there was that incident earlier in the day. The one he cried himself to sleep to. A blank look on his face, he stared ahead of Kyoya, focusing on some vase, then looked at Kyoya's eyes sheepishly. "O-Oh. So should I put my books away?"

Kyoya cleared his throat. "No, leave them. We'll get back to them later if you really want to have a session. But I want to talk first."

Tsuna touched the back of his neck nervously. "Alright, then. But if it's too much trouble, we can talk and then I'll leave-"

"I told you, it's fine," he insisted, shaking his head, "but yeah, let's talk."

"Um, I'm not really sure-"

"I'm sorry for acting strange towards you for the whole day."

Well, that was fast. Tsuna opened his mouth to reassure him, that it was fine and it was a petty matter, but Kyoya continued to talk. He seemed so genuine, it was difficult to interrupt him at this stage.

"I'm really sorry. You didn't deserve that-"

"Hibari-san, stop degrading yourself to try to make me feel better! Frankly, it's a little awkward, and you don't suit it."

Kyoya was, needless to say, shocked at Tsuna's outburst. Then he started laughing under his breath, his shoulders shaking.

"Alright, then. I'll just say it simply."

"OK."

"I'm sorry for hurting you. I don't want to hurt you again."

Tsuna smiled lopsidedly, looking away from Kyoya's straightforward eye-contact. This was strange - no, strange wouldn't even begin to explain it. It was strange, yes, but it brought some sort of warm feeling. It was like light - you couldn't grab or make sense of it, but its presence was so clear and so obvious.

"It's fine." Tsuna said.

"No, it's not fine. I can't explain it! I might be acting selfish right now, but please just stay by my side from now on. I'm feeling really... I'm feeling really bad. I'm confused. I don't know anything.

"It's like you have to be next to me before I can even start feeling alright again. It's painful, and I inflicted this upon myself. But you must've felt even worse. I'm sorry."

"It's fine! It's really just fine! Stop making assumptions, Hibari-san. This isn't like you."

"I know this isn't like me. I know! I don't know what I'm saying- I..."

Kyoya faded off his words, then looked straight into Tsuna's eyes, wondering if he really was that dense. Apparently, he was, because he was met by an obviously confused stare.

Kyoya, keeping a straight expression, said, "I want to know you better."

"S-Same here."

"More than friends."

"U-Uh."

"I don't mean best friends."

"Uh..."

Damn it - he was really going to make him say it. Was Tsuna just toying with him, or was he being genuine? He really looked genuine. No, he could tell he was genuine. He knew he was genuine.

"Sawada, why do you think I spoke to you on that day?" No, he couldn't bring himself to say it at all.

Too many thoughts bombarded his head: 'Because you wanted to', 'You knew I wanted to talk to you', 'I caught you by surprise'... But he went ahead and replied with the absurdest sounding argument.

"B-Because you know me."

Kyoya stared apathetically, clenching his hands into fists. "I know a lot of people."

"That's right, huh..." he said in a small voice, then added, "W-Well, you also-"

"Sawada," he interrupted, "you're the only person who pisses me off this much. Honestly, you're the weakest herbivore I've ever met. There's no reason for me to be attracted to you, but I am. It's really just that simple. It's not hard to understand. That's it. That's all there is to it."

Tsuna bit his lips, then looked down, finding it semi-difficult to breathe and process his words despite what he'd just said. Even in situations like this, it seemed like his brain wouldn't cooperate. "O-Oh, what? You... Oh-"

Kyoya abruptly leaned forward, slamming his hand on his table. "I just said, clearly, 'I'm attracted to you.' Is that not enough? Or are you really finding it difficult to understand?"

Tsuna leaned back, wincing a little - it'd been just his eyes before, but now his entire face was most probably completely red. He didn't know whether Kyoya was just playing around or if he was really saying this, doing this; right now. After all, he was a sadist at heart - or more fittingly, a carnivore - and it was still hard to believe this was happening. Gulping, he said, "T-That's enough..."

Kyoya, giving a small, sharp breath, leaned back into his previous position. "OK then. ... OK."

Not sure how to respond, Tsuna said, "Y-Yeah."

Kyoya, closing his eyes, told himself to cool down in his head multiple times, repeating the phrase as if it were some spell or chant. Maybe the boy was just thick in the head - maybe he really was a sadist, and enjoyed messing around with his head. Maybe this was all just a dream - he almost scoffed at the thought.

It was stupid to confess everything so early. Maybe he could still pass it off as a joke. Kyoya was about to turn around and apologise for the confronting outburst, but stopped himself when Tsuna's fingers delicately slipped on top of his own. It was a slight, small gesture - they were barely touching.

Tsuna avoided eye contact, his cheeks flaming, and set his other hand on the workbook. "Uh, w-well. You talked to me, s-so we should get started on this now," he said.

So many things were racing through Kyoya's head that he didn't know for sure whether it was just Tsuna being quiet, or if the thoughts had just drowned him out.

* * *

**A/N: wheeeeee new quick upload because i was excited to write this yoooooo ok no uh but this is the longest chapter of katekyo yet! it seemed fitting because it's the 10th chapter too heehaw**


	11. Starlight (Song)

Tsuna yawned, taking his time as he ambled down the street. He was walking slower than usual, despite already being late to school, and his head bobbed up and down lazily with each step he took.

He seemed to be taking more time appreciating everything around him - taking extra care to read the number plates and mailbox signs of each house he passed. He didn't want to worry about anything today. That included being late: he would think about the consequences later.

He felt strangely nice today. Strangely nice - as in, he felt... Happy. Happy for the first time since the start of middle school. And, above all, satisfied with himself. With life. He finally felt accepted by somebody other than his own mum. He couldn't be too quick to say so, though - his mood dropped a little at this thought. Hibari Kyoya was, despite his own experiences, dangerous and unpredictable - after all - and there was no way to tell what would happen next.

Nevertheless, whatever Kyoya did and said riled him up. Maybe it was just his subconscious overwhelming fear that compelled him to mistake it for a crush. What was it called? It was some kind of psychological phenomenon. He couldn't remember, but he'd overheard Kyoko talking about it one day during class with one of her friends - back when he was totally infatuated with her.

Tsuna slowed his pace, staring at his feet as they took him closer to the school. He'd never even thought of starting to like a person of the same gender - much less, Hibari Kyoya, out of all the people. He found it so comfortable - so easy - he hadn't even thought the slightest of it. Was he supposed to find it weird? He was so confused about the prefect he hadn't even tried to figure himself out first.

Groaning, he closed his eyes and let himself freely walk all over the road, as if it'd help clear up his mind. He still semi-regretted what he'd done yesterday - when he'd touched hands with Kyoya. It was completely uncalled for! And yet...

Tsuna stopped in his tracks, his eyes pointing straight down at his feet. And yet, just thinking about it made him - against his will - feel excited. He felt like a little kid whose favourite show was airing on the TV.

"Morning," a voice suddenly greeted.

Tsuna's eyes widened as he turned around to see Kyoya a metre away, his hand lightly up as if to wave. "M-Morning!" he echoed shakily, feeling the urge to bow.

"It's late. What were you thinking?" he half-scolded - though his tone wasn't as irritated as it would've been if it'd been someone else this was directed to. He paced closer to Tsuna so they were standing side-by-side as they walked to school. The smaller boy's shoulders tensed by reflex.

"I slept in," Tsuna admitted, turning his face away from Kyoya's gaze. For some reason, he felt embarrassed to tell the prefect - especially because Kyoya was usually quite diligent, and he felt as if he had to keep up a reputation when he talked to him. His constant eye-contact was also starting to make him squirm.

"Same here," Kyoya replied. Tsuna looked ahead and nodded thoughtfully.

"I couldn't sleep," he added for good measure. Tsuna forced a smile off his face and gulped it down - the way Kyoya had said it so casually made him feel even more embarrassed. Truthfully, Tsuna couldn't sleep either that night, but he wasn't going to tell Kyoya any time soon. He felt obligated to, but he'd preferred not to sacrifice his own pride for a weak attempt to keep the barely-alive conversation going.

They continued in silence afterwards - but Kyoya's head was a positive mess, and all that mess comprised of was the person beside him right now. He didn't know what he'd been thinking yesterday, but this went to show what little control he had over his actions than he'd thought. He'd tried so many times to clear his head, and all his attempts failed: no matter how much he'd disciplined the people around him, it ended up that he'd forgotten about himself in the process.

Kyoya had only just managed to control his erratic heartbeat when Tsuna touched his hand and uttered those words with that trademark weak voice of his last evening. He'd been so exhilarated he could hardly recall what happened after that - not that it mattered much in the first place.

No matter how much he had tried to suppress his feelings for the boy, he could never stop his eyes from following him. His mind never ceased to think about him, and his body would also respond accordingly. It was painful and especially scary to think somebody had started to almost control him in this way - and unconsciously, too.

Kyoya used to beat himself up for it and constantly question himself, just to confirm his view on the brunette - why did it have to be him? Hibari Kyoya being affected by such a weak pushover by the name of Sawada Tsunayoshi was a joke as much as the done-to-death, "Why did the chicken cross the road?". His pride was the last thing that would accept the way he felt - and losing his pride was the one thing Kyoya couldn't stand.

He was turning desperate, no matter how much he tried to deny it, and begrudgingly, on the brink of turning crazy as well. What happened yesterday only seemed to be throwing oil into the fire.

He felt the need to reconfirm and evaluate the incident though, no matter how tedious it seemed. That was the only way he was to be sure they were going somewhere, and to move forward. He decided he would be patient with Tsuna... Even though being patient wasn't one of his most famous traits - in fact, it didn't seem to exist at all - he decided for the boy, he would make the effort.

When their school came in sight, Kyoya cleared his throat and matched his pace with Tsuna's before halting his steps. "Sawada..." he hesitated slightly, then continued. "Wait."

Tsuna blinked at his words and stopped walking, slowly turning to face Kyoya curiously. "Y-Yeah?" His mouth unwillingly failed him, so he could only spit out that one line.

The silence he was met by afterwards confirmed that Kyoya was going to say something worthwhile, but out of all places, in front of their school gates - ten minutes late - was one he wanted to talk at the least. Also, he would willingly skip class to hear anything Kyoya had wanted to say.

"Um, d-do you wanna go into the infirmary or something first...?" Tsuna asked nervously. His words trailed off, and he cupped the back of his neck, shy.

"Let's go, then," Kyoya said almost immediately after. He quickly walked into school gates, trying to cool down his cheeks with cold fingers. He was relieved at Tsuna's suggestion - if he'd spent any more time dwelling there, he might've stumbled on a few words, which never fared well in any situation.

They arrived at the room in record time - though Tsuna found it difficult to match up to the speed Kyoya had been walking at. The nurse scolded them, and they both hastily apologised. When she settled down after a lengthy explanation from Kyoya, they thanked her and headed straight for an empty division.

Exhaling deeply, Kyoya fell onto a stool by a bed. Awkwardly, Tsuna leaned against the bed, facing opposite Kyoya and his hands behind his back. The nurse said she had to go out to talk to someone and that she'd be back in twenty minutes. Kyoya wasted no time.

"Sawada. First of all, can I call you Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna tried not to laugh, especially since the situation really didn't call for it. "U-Uh- Sure! You can call me 'Tsuna'. Um... J-Just 'Tsuna'." He held out both his hands for emphasis, then dropped them onto his thighs, his face red.

"So..." Kyoya said slowly, "'Tsuna'." He looked up from his palms at Tsuna, then quickly averted his eyes when he found Tsuna had already been looking his way. He was acting like a herbivore, he realised with slight shock and horror - maybe if you hung around herbivores, you'd turn into one yourself, no matter what you were before.

Kyoya gulped, then looked back up at Tsuna, separating his hands and leaning back slightly. "Then you'll call me 'Kyoya'."

"'K-Kyoya'," Tsuna repeated, gaining a small push of confidence after Kyoya started looking straight at him rather than at his hands. He was more used to the straightforward, confident Kyoya, rather than the embarrassed side of him. Not that he disliked him in that state, but rather, he'd spent so long admiring that leaderlike side to himself that it was strange to see him not in that state.

"Alright. I'll get straight to the- Never mind. Sawa-" he sighed here, then restarted, "Tsuna, I'm attracted to you. I should've made it clear to you yesterday. I wanted to ask how you felt."

"U-Uhh..." His voice quietened significantly, as he averted eye contact sharply. Maybe he was being a little too straightforward for his own taste. Breathing in, then out, he tried to meet Kyoya's eyes again but ultimately ended up staring at his shoes. "I like you."

"In what way?"

Tsuna blushed - he didn't know whether or not Kyoya had a sense of shame. "M-More than how much a student would've like his tutor! More than a guy would normally like a-another guy! I... That much... I like you that much."

Unfortunately for Tsuna, his words - that had spilled out of his mouth against his own self-control - made him blush harder and he resisted the urge to crumple himself up on the floor and roll out the window. Kyoya was taken aback by the boy - he apparently had more guts than expected.

The room fell silent after Tsuna's outburst - mainly because Tsuna was too embarrassed to speak, and Kyoya was still in pleasant shock. The background noise from the rustling leaves and occasional bird accompanied Tsuna and his words well, Kyoya noticed, and he felt sleepy all of a sudden. Nevertheless, he finally broke the silence and spoke.

"You're surprising," Kyoya stated, exhaling deeply. He hadn't said anything very significant, or even of any praise, but he didn't feel compelled to - what was it about Tsuna that somehow eased these petty words out? He smiled into his hands, to which, Tsuna gave him a nervous glance.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked shakily - he scolded himself mentally for being such a mess around Kyoya. It seemed as if his mind would never ease around the prefect. He tensed his shoulders and lowered his gaze into his lap.

"You're bolder than I expected," Kyoya said. He reached his hand out slowly, aiming for Tsuna's head so he could gently pet it - but he stopped himself before Tsuna saw him. Gulping quietly, he turns his head - this was a bad situation, especially since the two of them were alone, and the way Tsuna was acting made him seem more vulnerable than usual.

"T-Thanks..." Tsuna said quietly, so much that it was hard to differentiate his words from a whisper to a proper "thank you". He was so overwhelmed he didn't know whether he should've taken Kyoya's statement as praise or discouragement - so he decided to expect the best.

Kyoya smiled momentarily, then stretched his arms out comfortably, looking out the window. The sky was a bright pale blue today. It was uplifting to look at, and Kyoya suddenly felt caught up in a refreshing mood.

"I like you," he said. This gathered Tsuna's attention quickly, and he looked at Kyoya with questioning, surprised eyes. The three words were quick, and rushed out of his mouth like a river, but that didn't change their meaning. He smiled faintly again, allowing Tsuna to see, then opened his hands from the clenched fists they were previously.

"I like you a lot more than a carnivore is entitled to like a herbivore."

* * *

**A/N: sorry this is kinda late! i rewrote this chapter a number of times but i finally pulled through i'm so glad...**

**also shameless promoting/advertising but i remade my deviantART account! my username is ~daisos, but i only have two artworks up... one of them is hibari kyoya tho so uhhHhhH**


	12. Wake Me Up

It was a slightly warm but comfortable night, despite it being so late. Mukuro yawned, his mouth open as if he were displaying all his teeth. Uncivilised? Who cared.

He had just been about to close up when he saw a familiar figure walking down the empty road, seemingly towards him. The figure grew closer, and he confirmed that, yes, they were really walking towards him. He rolled his eyes and pushed the door open, holding it for Kyoya.

"It's late," he stated with a disapproving tone as he walked past, brushing shoulders momentarily.

"I know," was the distant reply he received. He followed through and shut the door; only then realising he'd forgotten to change the welcoming sign displayed on the glass door from 'Open' to 'Closed'. It wasn't that Mukuro didn't enjoy his company - in fact, it was the complete opposite - but for Kyoya to make his way over by free will was new behaviour, and he suspected something large had happened.

Sighing, he went ahead and turned the sign over to say 'Closed'.

Grimacing under his breath, Mukuro lifted his hand off the handle and walked over to his counter, thoroughly taking his time. Once reaching it - though it wasn't much of a journey at all - he promptly lifted out the wooden chair behind it and placed it on the other side with a loud thud. He stood there with his hands on the top of the rest for a while; Kyoya was being almost completely silent, and it was eerie to hear the faint ticking of the wall clock after the loud noise.

Shrugging, he pushed the chair forward, making sure to drag out the sound as much as possible before climbing onto the seat - his legs on either side of the backrest and his arms resting on the top of it. He decided now was a good time to question Kyoya.

"So? What's the occasion, hmm?" He gave a pseudo-yawn at the end of this just to spite the teenager; the brat probably specifically chose to come at this time - that, or he'd been taking an inconvenient eight hour long nap, starting from the end of school to now. He knew for a fact that Kyoya always went straight home from school on Wednesdays and Thursdays, being the friendless and so-called heartless guy he was.

"Wait," Kyoya called from deep within the shelves. Mukuro gave an irritable sigh at his seemingly-nonchalant voice. He stretched the joints in his hands, making sure he cracked all of his knuckles.

"You know, that's really nice of you. First, you barge into my store at the dead of night. Now, when I ask you why, you tell me to 'wait'? Don't you think I deserve an immediate answer for being so kind?"

"I'm concentrating. Be quiet or I'll bite-"

"Me to death, I know," Mukuro finished off, glancing at the floorboards. He was met with silence, other than the occasional shuffling and familiar sound of book sliding against book.

He lightly grinded his teeth impatiently, resting his jaw on the slight indent it left on the top of his hand. Although it'd only really been up to three minutes, the waiting period Mukuro had to endure before Kyoya finally emerged from the bookshelves was excruciating - it seemed more like ten minutes, and the steady, faint ticking of the clock directly behind him only seemed to elongate the time it took. It was almost as if it were teasing him.

Kyoya emerged from the shelves a moment later. "You're finally out," Mukuro stated blandly, gesturing to a chair for the boy to sit in. He was holding a photobook he recognised as one called 'The Colour of a Heart'. It was a relatively new arrival which was a personal favourite of Mukuro's: a collection of photographs shot in the photographer's hometown using a cheap, toy camera, where the theme was nostalgia. It was an interesting concept, but not so much as it was just plain pretty.

"I was wondering whether or not this would be suitable for a naïve little kid," Kyoya said, staring lazily at the cover. He took a seat that was opposite Mukuro's, and added, "It seems like he really likes photobooks. Explainable, though. He doesn't even understand novels."

Mukuro frowned and tilted his head to the side, his mouth slightly agape. Kyoya only seemed to act more strange as the night went by. "It's pretty expensive. I'm sure a kid wouldn't be able to appreciate it as much as I would. Why don't you give it to me instead, hmm?"

"Alright, never mind. I meant to say, he's a naïve teenage boy."

"Teenage boy?" he echoed. The extra information didn't help clarify the situation any more - in fact, it only made it all the more cryptic. "So it's for yourself?"

"If it were for myself, I would've made it clear."

Mukuro didn't know how he could stand Kyoya's attitude, especially at this time of the night where he was extremely tired and irritable. "Okay, okay. So it's for some other guy. What's the occasion?"

Kyoya's breath hitched slightly, and he looked down at the book in his hands. "It's a gift."

"Yeah, that bit's obvious. I mean, what happened to you? Weren't you supposed to be the untouchable, snarky guy who never opened up to anyone? Well, except me. I'm kinda hurt that you'd give that privilege to someone else."

Although he said the last sentence with an evident joking tone in his voice, he did really feel that way. His age didn't mean his mentality had changed from the time when he was a little kid: demanding, immature and shockingly honest. But as always, Kyoya paid it no mind.

"We're going out," Kyoya said, a slight waver in his usually-even voice. Mukuro couldn't help but by reflex, let out a gasp, as if the air had been punched out of his lungs.

"Going out?" he repeated incredulously. He waited for Kyoya to maybe elaborate, but he didn't speak another word. After a short silence, Mukuro snorted.

"That's unbelievable. You, out of all people? I have to record this momentous occasion in a book or something."

"Be quiet," Kyoya shot back, eyeing Mukuro. It was clear he was more than just a little annoyed, but he knew - they both knew - Mukuro wouldn't ever stop teasing him until the day he died.

"'Be quiet', he says, even though he came here by himself. Incredible," he remarked, an amused smile on his face. He sunk into his arms a bit more comfortably, keeping his vision in sight of the high-schooler.

"Oh, by any chance- Is this guy you're going out with, uh..." he drifted off, glancing at Kyoya quickly. He stifled a laugh - it was like Kyoya had caught a disease. He'd never seen him in this state before, flustered and was that a hint of embarrassment showing on his face? Even though it was obvious they both knew what he was about to say, he went ahead with it just to watch him squirm more.

"Angel boy?"

"Yes, he is. I told you to be quiet."

At his reply, Mukuro leaned back, arching it gracefully to give himself a refreshing stretch. Exhaling, he leaned back forward, draping his hands over the rest and an amused grin on his face. He'd seen the infamous cold, unfeeling Kyoya turn red a few times before, but even so, it was still a rare happening. He chuckled under his breath. "That's lucky, huh?" he said lightly, more as a statement than some attempt to converse with Kyoya.

They sat in this comfortable silence for a good length of time, when Mukuro decided now was a good time to make Kyoya even more uncomfortable - that was his punishment for making him stay after closi f hours. Not that he wouldn't do it for Kyoya under average circumstances, anyway. Smiling lopsidedly, he said as casually as he could, "Oh, remember the first time you came to my shop?"

"Yeah."

"You were way cuter back then."

"That was only a year ago."

Sighing deeply, Mukuro got out of his chair in big, swift motions and shook his head, a mock-distraught expression on his face. "Only a year ago? You grow up so fast."

Kyoya narrowed his eyes, and also got out of his chair. "You're mocking me, aren't you?"

"Yeah, yeah. You still buying that book?"

"Oh, right." Kyoya slid the book over the counter, where Mukuro was already standing. He received it with a gentle smile on his face - he tended to become that way when he was handling books. They were his passion, and he treated them with the utmost care, as a mother would a child.

"I'll giftwrap it for you. This seems like an important, fancy occasion, huh? What colour?" Mukuro asked after scanning the book and receiving the payment. He made his way to his various cupboards in advance, waiting for an answer.

Kyoya stared at the book, slightly chewing on his bottom lip. Some time passed, and Mukuro started to get tired from the crouching position. He was about to hurry him up and choose a random colour, when Kyoya said, "The colour of the sky."

"How cheesy," he teased - nevertheless, he pulled out the blue paper and twine, his obviously experienced hands wrapping the book into a neat parcel. Kyoya watched his actions thoughtfully - maybe if Mukuro had this same smile and his actions were as graceful as his hands now, he wouldn't act like such a kid around him all the time.

Blinking, Kyoya hadn't realised he'd been zoning out until Mukuro quickly slided the wrapped book over to Kyoya. "Here you go," he offered, a satisfied smirk on his face. Kyoya took the book, holding it in both hands with a firm grip.

"Thanks."

"No problem," Mukuro said, ducking under the counter, "now go home! It's half past midnight already!"

Pushing Kyoya to the door, Mukuro opened it and ran out alongside him, immediately locking the door. "Finally closed. I'll walk you home," he said, shoving his set of keys in his pocket.

"That's not necessary."

"Hmm?" Mukuro grinned. "Do you just want to be alone, or are you concerned about me?"

Kyoya sighed irritably, turning the other way and starting on his walk back home - he often had a way of twisting around words to his own liking and convenience. After he'd taken a few steps, Mukuro yelled, "See you tomorrow!"

Kyoya lazily waved his free hand in the air as if he were to say, "Good night,' as well.

* * *

**A/N: IT HAS REALLY BEEN A LONG TIME, HUH? sweats nervously BUT **

**HERE IS A chapter on mukuro and hibari though! i enjoyed writing it hoho**


End file.
